


Night Terrors

by TheEmpressAR



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M, Insanity, Mind Control, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Psychological Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2018-11-23 15:11:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11405001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEmpressAR/pseuds/TheEmpressAR
Summary: Elizabeth Keen has been infected with a mind-altering substance as a means to draw out the Concierge of Crime, Raymond "Red" Reddington.  He must find the antidote before he loses Elizabeth completely to the effects of the drug and bring down the man that has done this to her.  Will he be able to save her in time?





	1. Wake Me Up Inside

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea hit me overnight and it wouldn't let me go...gotta listen to the muse when she strikes HOT!!! Please let me know what you think!! I love COMMENTS and KUDOS!! Please EMPjoy!!!

_Flashes of light_... _sharp blinding pain_.... _lightening and shadows...Needles in skin. Something coming closer in the dark. Lizzie fought against some unknown restraint. She could barely move. Terror seized her limbs_ _as she watched the figure approach_.

  
Lizzie sat up abruptly in bed. She was on the tail end of a scream. Her body was drenched in sweat and her long auburn hair was matted to her forehead. She pulled her knees up to her chest and put her hands on either side of her head and tried to control her breathing. Her dark blue eyes welled with tears but she did not allow a drop to fall from her lashes. She fingered a hand through her bangs, sweeping them away from her forehead. She was dressed in a black silk cami top and a lacy black booty shorts. It was a hot night and it felt good to sleep "barely there". There was a knock on her apartment door. She knew she should have expected it. Her dog, Baxter, who had come to investigate her scream first by licking her face, had now turned his attention toward the door and running to it, began barking excitedly.

  
Lizzie got out of bed and sighed. She now had a throbbing headache and was working on barely four hours of sleep. She glanced at her alarm clock. It was 5:30 in the morning and she had to be at work by 7 am. There was no point in trying to get back to sleep, even if she did run off the people she knew would be at her door. She grabbed a t-shirt and threw it over her head as she padded down the hallway to the front door. She plastered on her usual _'Really...'_ face and flicked the locks. She booted Baxter out of the way and swung the door open to the equally charming face of one of Raymond Reddington's security detail.  
"Everything ok in here, Ma'am?" One of the larger of the two muscle-bound nondescript guards muttered as he poked his head in the door. Lizzie put both hands against his chest and pushed. It was like trying to move a boulder. He wasn't budging.

  
"Yeah...Everything is _fine_..." she said with a grunt. "Now if you don't mind I'd like to start my day without all eyes on me."

  
"We heard screams."

  
"I was having a nightmare....you guys ever get those things?"

  
"You know Mr. Reddington will not be pleased if we don't do a perimeter check," the "smaller" of the two stated as he eased his way into her apartment. Elizabeth sighed. There was no point in arguing with them. She really wasn't mad at them anyway. She had always turned her irrational anger towards their employer.

  
"Gee...we wouldn't want that." She let them come in and she went off to her room to start getting ready for work . She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed the dark circles forming and the puffiness around her eyes. Her mouth and been set in a permanent firm line as of late and it made her features harsh and angry. When was the last time she smiled?

  
She wasn't modest when his men were around snooping in her apartment. She was used to having them there by now. They were really more of an annoyance to her even though she knew the intentions were good. She could take care of herself. She didn't need his help. Why did he still refuse to understand that? Why did she still feel the smallest twinge of gratitude every time they did show up. It was like they were expected and appreciated but not wanted.

  
They did their usual cursory glance around the house. Baxter followed them everywhere as if he was their junior watchdog. He knew them both as well and he was waiting for the scruff on the head that usually followed the sweep of the apartment. He was not disappointed. With a nod of his head for the "all-clear", the head of the security detail, whose name was Pax, moved toward the door with the other guard, Hal, and Baxter at his heels. "We'll let Mr. Reddington know the situation is a 10-40."

  
"You do that..." Lizzie said as she ushered them quickly out of the door. She needed a hot shower and even hotter coffee to clear the cobwebs out of her brain and be on her way to the Post Office to handle the next in an never-ending parade of Blacklisters that the Concierge of Crime has cooked up for them this week. She kept reflecting back to the flashes of the dream that still haunted the back of her mind. She couldn't shake the foreboding feeling settling over her.

 

\---------------

She rode the freight elevator down to the basement with the same feeling of dread in her bones. She had checked behind her several times on the way in and shook herself chastising her unfounded nervousness. _'It was only a dream...'_ Her degree in psychology was not kicking in to help her allay her thoughts. She wanted to pick apart her thoughts but there was no time for that. She had work to do. Reddington was due to show up today and that always put everyone on high alert. They never knew what to expect out of him. Lizzie had long since tired of his antics and his shock value had worn off from her. When had she become so jaded?

  
The door lifted on the elevator and she stepped off and was greeted face-to-face with the man of the hour. Who was she kidding as she realized she always received the same jolt of electricity deep in her belly on seeing him first thing? She usually had time to prepare herself, often making sure she was standing behind a desk or next to Aram or Ressler when he arrived. It was rare that he even arrived before she did. He always liked to make his grand, flourishing entrance and have all eyes on him as he dished out his latest treat. Today was an exception. He stood before her, his eyes unshielded with his usual trademark shades, his fedora resting on the staircase. His eyes betrayed the concern he held behind them as he looked her over. She bit her lip out of habit but mostly because of his close scrutiny.

  
"Elizabeth..." He said breathlessly.

  
She walked past him and approached the rest of the team. They were all stationed at Aram's tabletop looking up at the three display screens on the wall. There was a menacing man with a large scar down the side of his face glaring back ominously at them. Elizabeth did not recognize him immediately but she was curious as to how he fit into the new drama which she was sure was about to unfold. Reddington turned and looked after her. He followed her over to the table and continued to watch her closely. He leaned his arm against the side of the table and watched as Aram pulled the stats up on the man on the screen.

  
"Silas Gold is this century's leading revolutionary de-activist in the war on experimental cerebral enhancement simulators this side of the hemisphere. He is at the forefront of the market and his services are well sought after in the seedy underworld of crime." Aram continued on without pause or breath and the rest of the crew tried to appear interested and just hoped that he would soon come to a point. Director Harold Cooper studied the stats on the wall and turned to look at Agent Mojtabai sternly. He seldom had any patience for the young man and his face told him to come quickly to his point.

  
Red cleared his throat. "Silas Gold is a mind enhancer. He uses his drug known as Cognitex to bring his customers to their ultimate heights of ecstasy or the dizzying depths of fear. He spares no sympathies or expenses when it comes to bringing his victims too much pleasure or pain. His talents are revered by all and there are few hard pressed in my profession to see him caught or captured."

  
"Then why are you interested in him?" Liz asked...she assumed that this would be the next on Red's list. Why else would he be here? "Is there someone in danger?" She flickered her eyes up to him and noticed his intent gaze on her features. His eyes held years of pain behind them, remorse and regret. He looked at her sympathetically and spoke.

  
"Yes, Elizabeth...I'm afraid there is." He glanced back at the man on the screen. Gold is a master of covert diversions and his operatives are everywhere. Once a contract is place, he will stop at nothing to make sure it is carried out. My sources informed me of his latest contract and that is why I am bringing him to you. It is of the utmost importance that we find Gold and obtain the antidote before the effects start taking a permanent hold. "

  
"Wait...what do you mean antidote?" Donald Ressler broke in. "Do you mean he's already carried out the hit? What makes this target different than any of his others? Why go after him now?" Everyone turned to Reddington for his answer. This sounded like an urgent matter to him.

  
Reddington got up and walked to Aram's console. He clicked a few buttons and a video appeared on the screen. It was a surveillance video of a woman walking down the sidewalk. She was being watched from close distance and as the camera drew closer to her she became more recognizable. Elizabeth stood up. She recognized the clothes, the walk, the area. She watched the camera get closer and then watched as a hand came up and stuck the girl in the arm with something and hurry quickly to get lost in the crowd of people around them. Elizabeth rubbed her arm.

  
It had happened a couple of days ago. She had brushed it off like it was nothing. Nothing to even be concerned over. She looked over at Reddington. He looked up from the laptop and locked eyes with her. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth...if I had known...If I even knew that you were of interest I would have had more detail on you night and day. He approached her carefully. He didn't know how far along she was...it could start at any moment.

  
"What....what are you talking about?" Liz looked at Red warily. She looked at everyone in the room. They were as confused as she was. They were waiting on the punchline.

  
Reddington scrubbed a hand over his buzzed head and cocked it to the side. He shook his head and rolled his tongue. He was on the verge of tears. Lizzie rarely saw him this distraught. "Unless we find Silas Gold and the antidote, Elizabeth will slowly be driven insane. As of now I'm not certain if the effects of the drug will lean more toward the extreme ecstasy or the extreme terror but to Elizabeth her reality will no longer be what the rest of the world's reality is. She is going to be thrown into a dizzying roller coaster of emotions and she will not know what is real or what is not...the Elizabeth we know now will cease to exist.

  
"But why Elizabeth..." Samar Navabi spoke up. She was silently observing the situation, standing beside Aram with her arms folded. She had a feeling she knew why...she just needed to hear Reddington to say it out loud.

  
Red put on his shades and grabbed his coat and hat and started toward the elevator. "He's using her to get to me...his employer knows of the connection that I share with Elizabeth and has followed us since our time on the lam from the Cabal. I have something he wants...and he is using my supposed feelings for Elizabeth to pull me out of hiding. I have a few leads on where Silas may be holed up...I need you all to use the ways and means of the FBI to bring Mr. Gold into custody. I need to keep Elizabeth close to me during this time to monitor her behavior and care for her until we find the antidote. Elizabeth, we'll go to your apartment to get your things."

  
"WAIT...hold on....I'm not going ANYWHERE with you! I don't even know what's happening here...you can't give me a couple of throw away lines and expect me to just skip along willingly. I'm going to continue to do my job here...and if what you are saying is true...then I will be of more use here trying to bring him down than me spending my days under your "watchful care" again. Cooper...please...don't let him do this. I want to be out there. I got to find this guy!"

  
Cooper was between a rock and hard place. He knew he should not let Keen perform her duties incapacitated. She would be better served under the protection of Reddington. However, how much should he trust the man who had gotten them all in and out of trouble in the past. Was Reddington over exaggerating the facts because of his strong connection to Keen. "I have yet to see any of the supposed side effects of the needle stick and what did you say, Keen...this happened days ago? I want you to go and see the medic for sure. Have some tests run. Clarify this situation. I will make my determination after the results. Meanwhile, the rest of you follow up on all the briefings and use all of your resources to bring Silas Gold in. Dismissed."

  
"Harold..." Reddington started.

  
"I've made my decision...Reddington, find this man quickly. I don't want to find out the hard way if I've made the wrong one."  
Reddington reached the elevator. He stepped inside and turned around. Lizzie rushed up to him before the door closed.

"Red!!" He paused looking back at her expectantly. "If you have anything to do with this..."

  
"Lizzie...why would you think that?"

  
"Everything around you is toxic. Including me."

  
"I'm so sorry, Lizzie."

  
"Prove it. Fix this."

  
She turned and walked away. Red gripped his hat tightly. He swallowed and pushed the lump that had formed in his throat down as best he could. "I will."


	2. What Do You Really Want?

_Baby, I'll learn to touch you_  
_I wanna breathe into your well_  
_See, I gotta to hunt you_  
_I gotta to bring you to my hell_  
_Baby, I wanna fuck you,_  
_I WANNA FEEL YOU IN MY BONES_  
_Boy, I'm gonna love YOU_  
_I'M GONNA TEAR INTO YOUR SOUL_

  
Liz entered her apartment and threw her keys in the bowl on the hallway table. She thought she had closed the door but she wasn't quite sure. She didn't care. She felt cold and clammy. She felt hot and trembly all at the same time. Baxter ran up to greet her but she barely noticed him. She didn't know how she made it home. All she knew was that she needed to lie down before she passed out. She ran shaky fingers up her neck and into her hair. She bit her lip. She shook her head trying to clear the cobwebs but they remained. She shed her black trench coat and left it where it dropped. She kicked off her shoes and walked trance-like down the hall unbuttoning her blouse slowly trailed a tentative finger down between the valley of her breasts and sent tingles through her skin. She stepped out of her skirt and let it pool to the ground.

  
She left a trail of clothing to her bedroom where her bed waited, inviting her to climb inside, feel its soft satiny sheets on her heated skin. Her eyes half-lidded and heavy could not resist its pull its temptation to envelop her in sensations.

  
"How do you want me..." She spoke to anyone and no one at all. Her drowsy voice echoed off of the walls. She lifted the hair from the back of her neck and tilted it, inviting invisible hands to play there to touch and tease. She ached for a touch that was not yet coming. She stood in the middle of her bedroom floor clad now only in her black lacy bra and panties...letting the dizzying room spin her down. Her hands roamed her skin her body, her torso until she felt the presence of someone else in the room. Someone that shouldn't be there. She felt his breath at the back of her neck and she spun around confused and shocked her heart racing. There was no one there.

  
Her hand rested at the base of her neck as she surveyed her room. It was dusk and the remaining rays of light were coming through her blinds. She could still see down into the darkened hallway and no one, as far as she could tell, was in the shadows. She could sense his presence though...lingering on the outskirts. He shouldn't be here.

  
She shook off her nerves. She was being foolish all of this was making no sense to her. It didn't matter. Her desire for flesh for taste and touch overrode her fears and rationality. Her heart switched gears from alarm back to excitement and it gave her a rush through her system. She gasped and continued to let her hands play and touch and feel, she swayed to the music in her head and moved to the edge of her bed. Sweat had started to bead up on her chest and Lizzie licked her lips as she did an impromptu dance, swaying her hips and arching her back. She had never felt so desirable. So free. She laughed and fell back onto her bed.

  
She jolted upright as she heard the noise again...coming from the area of her living room. It was hard battling the warring emotions of terror and desire. Was there someone in her home? Did she want him there? She hated to admit that she did. She hated to admit that she thought about him often. She thought of what it would be like to finally kiss him. To have him kiss her in a way that she wanted him to. Not to leave her frustrated and angry. She wanted him to drop that goddamned pretense of knowledge and overflowing of words and stories and just let himself go. She wanted to feel his crisp, pressed dress shirt against her body as she wore that and nothing else. She wanted him to see her that way. To see his eyes unable to tear themselves away from her in blatant want for her touch again. What she would give to see him lose that cold, calculated control. She wondered what it would be like to make seductively dangerous love to him. To hear him call her name. It nearly made her swoon in spite of her level of alertness. She waited.

  
She heard the sound again as it drew closer to her bedroom. She looked into the darkness her face drawing into lines of concern as she finally gave thought to where her gun might be. Did she have time to get it before whoever was out there made his presence known? She gripped her bedsheets and bit her lip. Should she say something? Before she could cry out his name he stood before her.

  
Dressed all in black...black fedora...black gloves....black suit....black vest...blood red tie....eyes shielded in black shades...looking hollow and threatening...seductive and alluring at the same time. A matted black Glock pointed squarely at her face. She was instantly terrified. "What are you doing here...Red...." she whispered, the words seizing in her throat. He didn't speak. He cocked his head at her...taking in her current state of undress...noting her nipples hard...pushing against the material of her bra. He flickered his eyes back to her own. Was she afraid or aroused beyond all reason?

  
"I could ask you the same question, Elizabeth..." He said. His voice rough and gravelly. It was tinged with barely contained lust. It was low and deep and when he spoke it resonated throughout her body. She didn't want him to speak again. She couldn't take the restraint.

  
"How did you get in here?" She had scooted herself back to her headboard and became aware that she was not dressed for his company. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her. They skimmed down her soft, smooth, stomach and trailed her long legs and Elizabeth felt the goosebumps rise instantly. She should not be feeling this way. This was Raymond Reddington. She did not feel this way about this man. She felt the edges of anger creep around her brain as she remembered she was supposed to keep him at a safe distance. He could not be allowed in. And yet here he was.

  
"Sweetheart..." He chuckled softly, removing his shades, letting her see the intensity of his gaze that hid behind them. "When I want something....do you honestly think you could stop me from getting it?" He approached her then and Elizabeth's blood raced inside her veins. A myriad of sensations ran through her but she finally settled on fear. She had never seen him like this before. The gun was still pointed firmly at her, and Reddington was rattlesnake ready to strike the moment she gave him cause to do so. She swallowed hard as she watched him remove his hat, coat and suit jacket, leaving him in his vest and button down.

  
"What...what's happening here?" Elizabeth squeaked out. She didn't want this. Not like this. He was scaring her. He was usually there with a calming, soothing word, a listening ear and even a punching bag for her verbal and sometimes physical abuse. He was flipping the script and she was not prepared. He approached the bed sly as a slick black panther never taking his eyes off of his prey and he trailed the cold, sleek steel up her calf, across her thigh and settled it on her hip.

"What do you really want, Lizzie..." He rumbled. His eyes mesmerized her speechless. Her mouth gaped as he sat beside her on the bed, hovering inches from her lips with his own, studying the curve of them. The arousal in the air growing ever stronger as he breathed her in. Her dread...her desire for him. Her eyes wavered on verge of tears. She wanted to scream...to break away...to run. But she wanted what she had anticipated for years. She wanted it to happen.

  
_Honey, I wanna break you_  
_I wanna throw you to the hounds,_  
_I gotta hurt you, I gotta hear from your mouth_  
_Boy, I wanna taste you, I wanna skin you with my tongue_  
_I'm gonna kill you,_  
_I'M GONNA LAY YOU IN THE GROUND_

  
Somehow he read every feeling inside of her and it angered him. He didn't come here to play games. He frowned at her lack of expression. "If you can't tell me then you need to be punished. I thought you were stronger than this. Apparently, I was wrong. You don't know anything. You can't even answer a simple question. I have never been more disappointed."

  
He suddenly lashed out and grabbed a handful of Lizzie's hair and yanked her head back, exposing her neck to him. She cried out. He pulled her close to his face and breathed in her ear. "I will make you scream my name tonight. Maybe then you can decide." Elizabeth pushed against him but his grip tightened as he bent down to bite her hard in the flesh that separated her clavicle and base of her neck. She screamed in panic then but it trailed off into a moan as Reddington soothed the spot with his deftly skilled tongue. He swirled patterns over the spot, sucking it into his mouth, eliciting sighs of pleasure that Lizzie was unable to control. Her head was somewhere in the clouds as she arched her back and pushed her neck further into his mouth. He breathed a laugh against her skin. "That's more like it..."

  
Lizzie's trepidation lingered in the air around them but was quickly dissipating as Red mouthed his way to her cleavage...tasting the saltiness of her perspiration. She dared lift a hand and place it on top of Red's buzzed fringe of hair and scruffed her hand through it, reveling in its feel. Reddington stopped instantly and grasped her hand with the one that held the gun. "Don't..." He spat harshly. In one swift movement, he flipped her over onto her stomach and pressed her face into the mattress.

  
He straddled her legs and pressed his weight against them bringing both of her hands behind her back. "You don't own me..." He growled. He removed his tie with one hand as he still pinned her with the other. Elizabeth struggled against him, the war raging harder inside of her now. She liked this wild side of him. She wanted the danger. But she was petrified at what might happen next.

"Let me go, Red!!!" She screamed into her pillow. He bound her hands behind her back with his red tie and hauled her up onto her knees, his body pressed firmly into her own. She felt the long length of him, tight against her, the gun pressed up under her chin now. "What are you going to do...kill me?" She challenged him.

Red buried his face into her hair, breathing in her smell again. He used his other hand to pull her firmly against his front, his fingers digging hard into her round suppleness, leaving no question on what his intentions were. "I want your blood on me....Elizabeth..." She screamed out then as the sound of his gun went off.

  
_The monitors in the office of the abandoned warehouse flickered and abruptly cut off, pitching the room into darkness. The occupant watching the proceedings unfold_ _removed his hand from his groin and tapped the keyboard. He tapped a few keys and the picture sputtered back into view. The data continued to run on its feed as it notated vital information on the recipient. The slow releasing toxin was doing more than was anticipated but right on schedule. He flipped through the charts and marked a box or two and made some notes as to what had taken place. He watched as the recipient tremored in her bed, convulsing and shaking in terror, screaming herself awake and crying into the empty room, alone._


	3. Down The Rabbit Hole

_Screams lodged in her throat. Hot pokers seared her skin in places, re-scarring her wrist as if happening for the first time. She struggled against her restraints. The shadows moved all around her. She couldn't make out any definitive forms or where the blinding light in her eyes was coming from. Whispers all around her and slamming of doors. Someone approaching. Can't breathe...can't move...Someone HELP ME!!_

  
Lizzie awoke face down on her mattress. Her head was pressed into the pillows and she felt as if a vice grip was holding her down. Someone was shaking her shoulder softly, trying their best not to startle or alarm her. She groaned loudly and tried to push the hand away.

  
"Ms. Keen..."

  
Elizabeth tried to open her eyes but they were too painful. She winced as a hand rested gently on her back, rubbing soothing circles to coax her into fully waking.

  
"Ms. Keen...it's Pax...please...have some water..." He said placing the cold bottle of water against the back of her hand. She felt like she was on fire. Her skin cooled at the touch and she allowed him to place the bottle in her hand. She groaned again and tried to sit up.

  
"Easy...easy Ma'am...not too fast." Pax helped lift her off of the pillows and she cried out. She leaned against the bulky guard for support and took a sip of her water.

  
"What....what time is it?" She said trying to bring reality into focus.

  
"It's half past noon, Ma'am," Pax said as he let her rest her forehead against his shoulder. He nodded to Hal who stood in the hallway. He was surveying the living room after coming in from walking Baxter.

  
"Half Past Noon??!!" Elizabeth said jumping up. The world took a dizzying dip to the side and Pax caught her before she fell to the ground. "I've...I gotta get to work!! I'm LATE!!"

  
"Don't worry about anything, Ms. Keen. Mr. Reddington has already taken care of things on his end."

  
"What do you mean by that?" Lizzie said warily. The mention of his name and a wave of feelings rushed over her and nausea high in her throat.

  
"Well, we informed him that you had not made move in your residence at your usual 0500 hours and assessed the situation. He recommended that you stay in your apartment and rest, in light of your current predicament." Pax took the bottle of water from her and sat it on the bedside table. "He said he would speak to AD Cooper and that you are to remain here and wait for his arrival after a meeting he is attending as we speak."

  
"Oh, he said all of _that_ did he..." Elizabeth frowned hard at Pax and stood up from the bed. Her rising animosity over being commanded like she was his daughter overrode any lingering bad feelings. She paced the room, picking up her discarded clothing from the night before. She had fuzzy memories of what took place the previous night and only a faint remembrance of terror and pleasure. She didn't have time to dwell on it. She threw her clothes into her hamper in the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face.

  
Pax stood up from her bed. He didn't think it was appropriate to sit there for any length of time and approached Lizzie from the doorway. "Mr. Reddington thinks that it would be best if you took a leave of absence until your problem is handled. He requested that we help you pack a couple of bags and escort you to one of his private villas on the coast so that he can monitor the situation and you will be protected from any outside interference.

  
Lizzie paused from brushing her teeth and combing her hair to look back at the bodyguard with a resigned expression on her face. "Mr. Reddington does not get to order me around any way he sees fit. I don't have to wait for Mr. Reddington and I prefer to handle matters that pertain to me in my own way. If I am infected with something, I don't know how much time I have before it's too late to do anything about it. I'm not going to be put in some padded room and be treated like a fine crystal object. You can deliver a message to Mr. Reddington for me and tell him to _screw off_!"

  
She pushed past Pax and threw on a pantsuit in record time. She checked her reflection in her mirror and noted the increasing dark circles forming under her eyes and she applied some red lipstick to offset the paleness of her features. She felt fine. She wasn't going to let this setback get her down. She was going to find the person who did this to her and find out why he was using her to get to Reddington and what he wanted from the crimelord. The best way she could do all that was to be involved in the middle of it. She was a strong woman. She knew that. If she could move on easily past the Cabal and her life with Tom and all of the other dramas that had unfolded in the short time of knowing the man that trouble seemed to follow like a shadow, then this would be a walk in the park. She grabbed her bag, checked for her wallet and gun and made her way to the front door. "I'm sure you both know your way out."

  
Pax and Hal did not try and stop her. Their instructions were to protect her always, but not to interfere. They could not keep her a prisoner in her home. They made sure her apartment was secure and phoned in the status to their boss. Secretly, they both were proud of their charge. They both cared for Elizabeth Keen in their own ways, how could they not...everyone likes a girl with moxie.

  
_______________________

  
Elizabeth pushed the elevator button several times. She was beyond frustrated by the time she arrived at the Post Office. She wanted to know of any of the latest developments and what steps she should take next. She wanted a word with Cooper on how she was to handle herself in the coming days. She didn't want Reddington's interference as much as she could help it. She wanted to be clear that he should do his business while she attended to hers and that she would only require his help when it was beneficial to her and not to treat her any different now that she was compromised. They both had jobs to do and she intended to do hers. She pushed her way into the Post Office and huffed over to Aram's workstation. He was busily clicking on his keyboard, his dexterous fingers moving gracefully over keys. Samar and Ressler were most likely out in the field following leads.

  
"Agent Keen...." Aram said looking up from his keyboard. "I thought..."

  
"It doesn't matter what you think, Aram...I'm here now. Where's Cooper?"

  
"Agent Keen...what is the meaning of this?" Cooper said from his office upstairs. "I approved your temporary leave of absence...you are supposed to be on lockdown until further notice. I trust you have gone to see your ME for your tests and results. That is where you are to be at the moment."  
"But sir...I need to speak with you...if you would just..."

  
"That is an order, Keen. I've phoned ahead for your appointment and you are to rendezvous at 1400 hours."

  
"Yes, sir."  
___________________

  
Across town, Raymond Reddington sat in the far back corner of his favorite French Bistro La Madeleine sipping on a very expensive glass of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet, and at $4800 dollars a bottle he thought he should be enjoying it more than he currently was. The hot afternoon sun shone rays of light, highlighting the flute and bubbles and playing along the fine lines of impeccable three piece tan suit. He wished it was a more felicitous occasion but under the circumstances, he allowed himself one tiny luxury as he worked tirelessly to save the life of his beloved one. He had just concluded a meeting with a few constituents that had aided him in taking down a few of The Director's top men and procured their talents once again for information on the location of Silas Gold. He learned that Silas was still in the area and that his employer wanted him to remain close to his target on this one, just in case things started going South. Red winced at their use of the term "target" to describe Elizabeth.

  
He told them that Gold would have a real situation on his hands if he so much as breathed in Elizabeth's air space. He had security tight on anywhere Elizabeth may be at any given time. Unfortunately, he had to step it up and was still kicking himself for becoming as lax as he did. He only thought that life might have been returning to somewhat "normal" since being back from their journey through hell together. Reddington had pressed his informants for more, but as usual, they only knew the people who knew the people. They were able to obtain a license plate off of a car that they believed belonged to one of Gold's lower level pharmaceutical techs and that was the only kernel of information they could offer him for the time being. He had worked with less in the past. It was a place to start.

  
"Put him on the phone. I have no time for pleasantries today....I don't care if he's in the middle of the Sahara desert with a leg of lamb strapped to his chest and hermit crabs are biting his ankles....put him on the phone!"

  
He lit a cigar and puffed it...letting the fragrance eek its way into his bones. He needed a real break after all of this. He couldn't take much more of the onslaught of abuse and the constant barrage of one-upmanship the volatile industry had become. It really was starting to become not worth the effort. He just wished that he could share the comfort he once did of Lizzie's companionship while they were on the run. Those were the most peaceful of times and he often thought of them fondly, even if the world was crazy...they handled it together. After about fifteen more minutes of angrily puffing smoke, a sarcastic voice crackled onto the line.

  
"Raymond Reddington....to what do I owe this auspicious albeit inopportune converging of the minds..."

  
"Listen, Glen...I don't know why I even bother with you....you kept me on the phone 15 minutes, Glen...FIFTEEN MINUTES!!!"

  
"Geeze...don't get your panties all up in a wad now, Red...I was busy!! I do have a business to run here....I am on the clock you know."

  
"I don't want to hear any more excuses, Glen...I pay you handsomely to do my special errands and you value your work at the DMV over the salary I give you??? Tell me the truth...you were in the bathroom reading the Gentlemen's Quarterly again weren't you..."

  
"C'mon now...Red....That hurts....you know I value our working relationship...I honestly do...it's just this thing with my mom again...she's always got me so geared up I can barely get out of bed in the morning."

  
Red rolled his eyes so hard he had to pinch his fingers at the base of his nose to stop the sudden shooting pain between them. He had never lost his calm, cool demeanor with anyone else in his entire existence. Even Elizabeth on her worst days did not vex him the way the man on the phone was currently doing. Through gritted teeth, he spoke..."Glen...as much as it pains me to say, I don't give a rats ass about your mother right now. I have other matters to attend to. Now before you get all "uppity" on me...I need you to run these plates. I don't have time for your tales of woe...perhaps when all is said and done. He heard heavy breathing on the other end of the line. He could actually see the rusty wheels turning in the diminutive older man's head.

  
"Red...I'll tell you what you can do with your plates...why don't you take those plates and stick them up your...."

  
"It's for Elizabeth, Glen...she's in trouble....I desperately need you to look into this for me. Time is of the essence." Red could not help the twinge of despair coloring his voice. He needed this information.

  
"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place??" Glen shuffled some papers around on his desk. "Give me the info....I think I can squeeze you in...next week."

  
"GLEN!!!"

  
"Alright...Alright....SHEESH...keep your pants on....I'm just jerking your chain....give me what you got, I'll have your info within the hour."

  
"Thank you, Glen..." Red exhaled an overly exasperated sigh. He gave Glen the information he had and made him promise that he would call him back within the hour. His cellphone buzzed him that there was a call on the other line and he clicked over to answer it. It was Pax. He was briefed on the situation and he stood up, sighed again and left a hefty tip on the table and an untouched meal. He begged his apologies to Madame De La Fontaine, graciously kissed her hand and promised to be back very soon with an entourage that would give her enough money to retire back to her hometown of Marseille when he was finished with her.

He tipped his hat, put on his shades and hailed his car with Dembe securely at the wheel and told him to get to the Post Office as fast as he could drive. He hoped he was not too late. 


	4. Bright Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small chapter today...gotta keep it rolling!!!

  
Lizzie balled her fists so tightly that she felt her nails digging into the flesh on her palms. Her knuckles were white as she turned to leave the building. She didn't like getting a dressing down from Cooper and she didn't like the fact that he wouldn't hear her out. She felt she had lost a lot of ground with him since returning to the task force. Things just were not the same. Being compromised now did not help the situation. It seemed like she was more of a liability than an asset. It was probably only a matter of time that she would be dropped altogether. She bitterly thought again that it was only Reddington keeping her there, working cases only because of his status and not her own merit. She would have to continue to prove them wrong and work even harder now.

  
She pushed the button on the elevator. She intended to go and get some lunch before meeting with the doctors to assess her state of mind. She felt another twinge of hurt and anger at the realization that she was no more than an object, a pawn in the Underworld's forever wicked game. Would it only end with her death? How could she escape the game?

  
The elevator reached the top floor and the doors opened. Elizabeth had her head down but when she looked up to exit, she came face to fedora as she nearly bumped into Reddington. She took a step back and raised her fist to her mouth. A foreboding sense of oppression washed over her as he slowly raised his shaded eyes to her, a small smile of recognition playing on his lips. Before she could do or say anything, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back into the far corner of the elevator. She gasped in shock as he covered her with his body and put a black gloved hand over her mouth. He whispered in her ear. "Now there's a good girl...you're not afraid of me are you, Sweetheart?"

  
Elizabeth was trembling and trying to breathe around his hand over her mouth. She whimpered and nodded her head...her eyes beginning to droop. She didn't know why he was behaving this way. What was going on here? She had never felt this level of fear with him before. But it was also doing something to her insides. She thrilled at his touch as he continued to speak low and seductively. "Did you miss me?" He locked his eyes with hers and she was mesmerized by the deep pools of blue she was diving into. She warred within herself. He could kill her in an instant and she was afraid of his proximity to her. He leaned to breathe her in and smelled her fear. "I'm dangerous...you know this. I could have ended you at any time and in many ways. And yet I've tolerated you all of this time...your coolness...your indifference....many times I could have ended you and disappeared." His hand tightened over her mouth.

  
"But it's what you do to me...that keeps you around...that makes me endure this delightful cat and mouse we have...that makes me want to fuck you more. Do you know what it feels like to want something just out of your reach? Something that you could break and tame but your measured restraint holds you back?" He pressed her against the wall of the elevator. He was solid and unmoving and she could smell the want on him and the mixture of cologne and underlying evil was unbearable.

  
"We've got places to be, Elizabeth...I'm going to take my hand slowly from your mouth...do you promise to behave?" She nodded, tilting her head to the side. His breath whispered over the fine hairs on the skin of her neck and she thought she may swoon. He chuckled softly. "Soon, Sweetheart...I want this as much as you do." He trailed a gloved hand down her arm and grasped her own hand between his.

  
"What do you want from me?" She whispered shakily, trying to take her hand from his. She looked at him incredulously as he practically leered in return. His other hand moved to the pocket of his overcoat.

  
"I think you know what I want..."

  
"You never had to be this forward before...don't you remember what happened between us?" Liz tried to find some semblance of the Reddington she knew in all of this. She still didn't know the man in front of her, still dressed in black, seemingly not interested in the fact that it was in the mid-90s in the city today. He acted as cool as the steel of his gun which was currently nudging her thigh through his coat pocket.

  
"We're going to need to move this to someplace less confining. I believe you have a doctor's appointment that you need to attend. After that, we need to talk. I need you to make sure you evade my men when you leave here today. I need to see you privately. I don't want to call them off because it will draw suspicion to me and it's decidedly out of my character when my job is to protect you."

  
"How will I...?"

  
"You're a smart girl...and you've done it before...you know they are always out there...all eyes on you...but I know you still have a few tricks up your sleeve...Meet me in grove in the park...do not disappoint me, Elizabeth."

  
He came dangerously close to her. She breathed him in and he looked as if he were ready to bite. She lifted her head up in defiance. She was not about to let herself go without a fight. She was not going to give in to Reddington's games just because he was not acting like himself lately. If she could only find the reason why she was unwilling to put him in his place. Perhaps she liked the way he was making her feel now.

  
"These are questions you need to find answers to..." He said nuzzling her neck mouthing the words to her ear. She nearly passed out but he had turned and walked out of the elevator, leaving her hot and aroused against the elevator wall. When she opened her eyes, he was gone.  
She stepped out into the sunlight and looked up and down the street. She looked up into the high buildings scanning every window. She put her hand over her eyes to shield from the sunlight. She counted no less than four potential scouts watching her moves. She bit her lip. This was going to be a tough one.  
________________

  
Raymond Reddington burst into the Post Office about 20 minutes later.

  
"Where's Elizabeth?"

  
"I..I...I'm sorry Mr. Reddington...she left about thirty minutes ago. You just missed her." Aram said standing up. He was startled at Red's unannounced visit. He was downloading information that Samar and Ressler had procured on location.

  
Reddington scrubbed a hand over his head and pursed his lips together tightly. "She shouldn't be on her own right now, Aram. Where's Cooper? We need to bring Elizabeth in. We are running out of time."

  
"Why don't you get your people to locate her if she's in such peril?" Cooper said coming in from the other room. "I told her she was to meet with her practitioner and run the tests. I have some measure of trust in my agents and I have to give Keen the benefit of the doubt."

  
Reddington's cell phone went off at that moment. He raised his eyebrow at Cooper and answered it.

  
"Yes..." he put it on speaker phone.

  
"Raymond..."

  
"Yes, Dembe?" He never took his eyes off of Cooper as Dembe spoke coming through tinny on the small speaker.

  
"Raymond...Elizabeth is gone...She slipped past all four of the operatives on the ground level and our two in the sky have not detected her."

  
"Thank you, Dembe." Red clicked the phone shut and looked up at Harold giving him the widest most menacing smile he could produce. "Atta Girl...."


	5. There's No Place Like Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm the snake in the grass..." Raymond Reddington

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to EVERYONE that has been supportive of me and my storytelling!! HOPEFULLY, I can keep the momentum going...I love to write when I get the opportunity to do so!! MORE TO COME!!

_Running...got to keep ahead of them. Dart behind the building...look out. They are everywhere. Sun blinding my eyes...Metallic glimmer in the window above. Was I seen? Who are all these people? Which ones are real and which ones are his? They all are suspect. Trust no one._

  
Elizabeth rounded another corner and collided hard with the man in front of her. They both stumbled to the ground and she skinned her elbow on the sidewalk. She rolled off of him and sat down, wincing and examining her elbow. It was bleeding. She inhaled sharply hissing at the pain it caused. She looked over to the person she had crashed into. He was momentarily stunned, lying on his back, the wind knocked out of him.

  
"I'm so sorry!! I didn't mean..." Liz started. The man sat up, shaking his head trying to get his bearings.

  
"No...no that's quite alright, Miss....are you ok? Let me look at that!" He gestured toward her bleeding elbow. Liz fished for something in her backpack. She pulled out a couple of napkins and put it to her cut and stood up. She looked at the man she had knocked into and he was looking back at her with concern...almost too much. She looked at his ear and noticed an earbud pressed into it. She looked back at the man's face and her features became blank. She glanced around him and it seemed like everyone on the sidewalk had stopped moving and was looking in their direction. She started to panic. They were everywhere! How could she EVER be free from his watchful gaze? Why couldn't he just leave her alone? What did he want from her? Did he ever care for her or was it all a part of his plan to drive her this crazy? She backed away from the man and put her hands in front of her.

  
"Look...just leave me alone...alright? I'm doing what he asked me to do. You need to stay the hell away from me!" She took off running in the opposite direction...away from the "stranger" on the street. He remained where he was, watching her run across the street and into one of the buildings He put his wrist up to his mouth and calmly spoke into it.

  
"White Dove acquired on 46 and Main. Confirmed primary destination. Eyes are back on the prize."

  
__________

  
Reddington closed his cell phone, smiling. At least she was found. He didn't know if she was safe, but at least they had her. He really admired the people who worked for him. At present, they were doing a far superior job than any of the secret service or the FBI ever could in tracking and protecting precious cargo. He shook his head again at the incompetence of even this task force he had assigned himself to. It was so much easier to do things his own way, protocol be damned.

He schooled his features and walked over to Aram who was steadily keying into his laptop. He could see a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. He put a hand on his shoulder, getting the young man's attention.

"Aram...Agent Keen has been found...give your nimble fingers a rest." He moved the harried agent aside and punched in the reported location and looked up at the viewscreen. He put his hands in his pockets and wandered to the front of the room. He was looking at a very large old building in the center of town. He didn't recognize the structure but the signage on the door indicated that it was the Department of Behavioral Health and Sciences. If Elizabeth was anything, she was consistent. Maybe she was looking for the answers she didn't yet know the questions to. He could be there in less than five minutes. He needed to get to her before she really hurt herself. He knew that Gold was a genius in his field and he had seen some of the man's previous attempts at world domination. None had ever come back to completely normal. He tried to put those thoughts out of his head. He would have his Elizabeth back. He would move the earth to make her well. He needed her now. He only hoped he was not too late. He grabbed his hat and headed toward the elevator.

  
_____________

  
Elizabeth ran up the several flights of stairs. She had stopped at the main lobby and found the office she was looking for. She didn't know how much time she had before being accosted by another one of Reddington's men...she had to get her lab results and find out what was wrong with her. She didn't feel any different than she ever had before. She wanted to prove to Reddington and to all of them that she was not incapacitated and could function and do her job. Right now her job was putting a stop to Silas Gold before he could do something truly dangerous. She didn't like what she had learned about him and knew that he had the potential to do some serious damage if he inflicted the mind control substance on anyone that could help him with his agenda.

  
She reached the door to the office and looked through the glass at the staff going about their normal routines. People with charts in their hands bustling past her in and out of the door. She walked in and stood in front of the attendant's desk.

  
"May I help you?" The woman asked her after looking up from her screen. She looked at the disheveled woman in front of her. She took note of the heavy breathing and clothing that was in disarray. Her hair out of place. "Are you ok, ma'am?"

  
"I'm fine...I'm here to see Dr. Covington..." Elizabeth said swallowing hard. She ran a hand through her hair and tried to appear like she was calm and collected. Her eyes darted around the room. She took note of the time on the clock on the wall. There was still time before her meeting with Reddington. She was going to really give him a piece of her mind when she saw him. She wanted to handle matters on her own and she didn't need his interference. He made things 100 times worse for her. And now this deadline? What was he thinking?? What was she thinking? She remembered his hands on her. His breath on her neck. The way he made her feel...dizzy, swooning. The way he looked at her. Her pulse started to pick up. She shook those thoughts away. What was wrong with her? She looked back down at the nurse who had not taken her eyes away from her face. She was becoming nervous again. She began to tap on the counter that separated her from the woman eyeing her. "Is she in?"

  
"Yes....and you are?" She picked up another chart and looked at it.

  
"I'm Elizabeth Keen...I have an appointment with her...like right now." Liz continued to dart her eyes to the clock and back.

  
The nurse was used to seeing this kind of behavior from a lot of people. The woman in front of her did look more than a little off. It seemed that she could be easily spooked and that at the slightest provocation she could take to flight. She looked at her chart and noted that she indeed had an appointment and told her to go and wait in one of the chairs beside the door. Elizabeth exhaled a long sigh and walked over to the row of chairs she had only then noted. She removed her backpack and held it in her lap. Her leg began to bounce with nervous energy. She started looking back and forth at the door and the clock. She had to calm herself and try to remember that she shouldn't draw any unnecessary attention to her actions.

  
It was then that she noticed someone walking down the hall pushing a cart full of blood samples and various other vials. At first, she paid it no mind but as the man passed her with the cart she saw on one of the vials her last name. She could read it from where she was sitting. Her name was in large black letters and there was a sequence of numbers and a bar code on the label as well. What were they doing with her sample out in the open? Anyone of interest could have taken it at any time and did who knew what with it. She watched in shock as the man just left the cart of vials beside an open door in the hallway and walked off down the hall. She could not believe what she was seeing. Didn't they know she was to be under special consideration? Were they not informed that she was with the FBI and that her case was not to be taken lightly. Several people in uniforms passed the cart and were in and out of doors in the hallway. No one approached the cart. She decided she needed someone back at the post office to handle this matter. She could not leave her circumstances up to chance and fate. She needed to handle this. She eased out of her seat and glanced at the woman behind the counter. Elizabeth noted that she had also returned to her computer and was not paying her any further attention. She shrugged. They asked for it.

______________

  
Dembe pulled up along the curb beside the old brick building that was the DC Behavioral Health and Science Center. His passenger fidgeted nervously in his seat. He was anxious to get out of the car and into the building to find Elizabeth. He could barely wait for the car to come to a complete stop.

"Raymond..." Dembe said a warning note to his voice.

  
Red was halfway out of the car. He stopped to look at Dembe as he met his friend's reflection in the rearview mirror.

  
"She may be armed...Raymond...you need to be careful." Reddington's safety was first and foremost Dembe's top priority. He never wanted to see his friend in any danger and he knew the feelings were mutual.

  
"She will not hurt me, Dembe...no matter what state of mind she is in." His soft tones tried to reassure.

  
"You do not know that for certain...Elizabeth is not herself right now."

  
He patted Dembe's shoulder and exited the vehicle. His shaded eyes looked up to the top of the building and he instinctively knew she was in there. He looked at his watch. She was already two days deep into the virus and he hoped that she was able to fight her way past its effects. He needed to contain the situation with the utmost care. One wrong move and it could be disastrous. He headed into the building with caution.

  
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­________________________

  
_Don't draw attention to yourself. It's right in front of you. Just ease your way to the cart. Keep an eye on the woman...she's not watching...ease past the desk...almost there...I can't believe the incompetence in this place. NO one is taking this seriously.....here is my vial...just have to slip it into my bag and I'm home free....looking around...no one paying_ attent _...._

  
"Just WHAT do you think you're doing??"

  
Elizabeth was startled out of her reverie by the harsh voice of the woman in the front office. She had put her hand on Liz's arm and was jerking it away from the cart. Liz did not think at that point just pushed her and ran. She heard the woman's startled cries and a loud crash of the cart as she fell into it scattering its contents all over the floor. The commotion caused people to come running from all over the place to the scene and Elizabeth had to push her way past several hospital personnel on her way back through the front door.

  
"STOP HER!!!" The woman cried as she was being assisted to her feet. Elizabeth pushed her way past several orderlies and shoved the door open, spilling out into the front hall. She had never been this scared before. She couldn't seem to get her legs to move. They had turned into rubber. She ran to the elevator and began mashing the down button. She had to hurry. People were started to exit the office in search of her. The elevator dinged on her floor just as a couple of orderlies saw her and headed in her direction. The elevator doors opened to Reddington staring back at her shocked face. Terrified, Elizabeth screamed when she saw him and backed away. Red shook himself out of his surprise at running right into her and started to approach with his palms upward in a non-threatening posture.

"Elizabeth...stop!! It's ok!! Come with me....everything is going to be alright..." He took a step forward off of the elevator.

  
Lizzie turned on her heel. She didn't hear a word past her screams. She ran down the hall and saw the emergency exit to the stairwell in front of her. She knew she had to reach it before she was caught. She heard his footsteps behind her, gaining on her. She needed to escape. She had to get away from him. From everything.  
Running on sheer adrenaline she pushed the door and the emergency alarm went off in the building a loud roar in her ears as she skidded down the flights of stairs taking more than two at a time. She heard his calls above the alarm and the sound of his shoes echoing in the stairwell. She was almost free. She didn't know why the plans had changed, but she was now in this on her own. She was not going to stop until she had the answers.

  
She slammed her way out of the exit to the back alley. Bright sunlight hit her in the eyes and she was disoriented. She looked both ways into the alley and took off toward the street. She was as quick as a jackrabbit and she needed the head start to get as far away as possible. She darted across the busy street and into an alcove that led to the park. She heard a voice calling her name from a car parked alongside the curb. It looked to be Dembe. She paused and shook her head. Could she not even trust him? Her lip trembled as she bit it and ran as quick as she could down the path. The vial of her blood was tucked safely into her bra in her shirt. She would rendezvous with the man hot on her trail. He had some explaining to do!


	6. The Gold Standard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth is caught in a trap...but is it of her own making?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry for the long delay. I was really having a case of writer's blockage and I-don't-wannas!! 
> 
> I finally got a break-through in my brain...I hope that I can stay on a good track and get something out :) Sorry for the short chapter...trying to get a build up.
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments! Do you want MORE MORE MORE??
> 
> MANY THANKS TO ANDREA for keeping me GOING!!! This story is dedicated to YOU!

Silas Gold sat on the empty park bench. His fingers were furiously clicking on the keys of his laptop. Any moment now, she should be meeting with him and he could put the second part of his plan into action. His earlier encounter with Elizabeth Keen in the elevator of her not-so-secret black ops site had been a thrilling success in his implementation of his plans. He was beyond elated at Keen's apparent obliviousness when he slipped in behind her at the entrance. He wore a dark- colored trench coat and fedora and no one in the building paid him any mind. He assumed they were used to seeing Reddington and her together at all times. It was almost...too easy.

After their heated confrontation in the elevator, he went to wait patiently for her at the park. He was pleased to see that his drug, Cognitex was working better than he ever anticipated. He planted just the right suggestions in her mind and he could be anyone he chose to be. He didn't even have to worry about getting mannerisms or personalities right...Keen seemed so vulnerable and open that she was very easy to manipulate. He only hoped she would continue to play nicely throughout his plans for her. He double checked her vital signs that he had keyed into the laptop and the status of the timed release of the drug into her system. She didn't have much longer and she would be completely under the drug's effects. He smiled a green-toothed smile and rubbed his stubbled chin, thoughtfully. He looked at his watch and across the park. She would not disappoint him. He had struck so much fear and (by the feel of her elevated pulse rate) just enough pleasure to keep her coming back for more. What power did the 'real' Reddington have over this woman? From what he could tell from her files and his research, she didn't feel either way towards the famed Concierge of Crime. The way she behaved toward him in the bedroom that first night and in the elevator told a different story.

He glanced up the path leading to his bench when he heard the rustling sounds of birds and footfalls running quickly toward him. He smirked again and noted that she was right on time, give or take five minutes. She looked distressed and had something held tightly in her left fist as she kept looking behind her like she was being chased. He stood up and closed his laptop. "It's showtime..."

  
Elizabeth ran to the clearing of the park. She didn't know how far behind her Reddington or anyone else who was following her may be. She wanted to meet Reddington in the park as they had planned and the disruption of his plans could have only meant that the situation had been compromised. Hopefully, he would be waiting for her at the rendezvous spot and she could get this all out in the open. She was more than angry at having to feel like she was terrified of anyone and everyone around her. Her nerves were on fire and her pulse was so quick and elevated it only allowed her to think quickly on the fly and most of her thoughts were not good. Flurries of fear and panic coursed her system. She wanted to know what was wrong with her, but the will for flight was strong. She didn't see the man in front of her until she almost plowed right through him. He put up his arms to ward off the blow of their bodies colliding as he tried his best to politely catch her minimizing the shock.

"Elizabeth Keen?"

Elizabeth out of breath, panting and looking at the man in front of her, trying to place him but failing, cocked her head to the side. "Do I know you?"

"Yes...you do. You need to come with me right now. I know you're in a tight spot and I've been sent to get you out of it."  
Elizabeth hesitated...she had no idea who this man was and why in her right mind she would want to go anywhere with him. Sure he was quite attractive. Blonde hair in a 'bed-head' style and a permanent 5:00 scruff on his classically chiseled face. He even put Tom to shame, if that was possible...she shook her head. It was too risky. She suddenly heard a rustling behind her as the sound of more footsteps approached. Voices were calling her name and she recognized one. "Red..."

"Elizabeth...we need to hurry...he means to do you harm."

"How do you...?"

"I can't explain to you now, but all will be revealed. There's no time."

Silas knew that they would all descend on them in a matter of seconds and his ventures would be all for naught. He was in more danger than she was and he needed to pull this all together. He was starting to get pissed and was about ready to physically remove her from the area when she suddenly grabbed hold of his upper arm. "Let's go!" He nodded and took off in the opposite direction, dragging her behind him. His van was on the outskirts of the park and he knew an alternate route to get her there.

He barely concealed her down the path when Reddington burst into the clearing they just vacated. He looked back and locked eyes with Red and gave a sly wink before running off. Reddington took off in the same direction, screaming for Lizzie to break free and escape from him. She had a terrified look in her eyes as she continued to run. She only saw Red's gun aimed at her head. A tear formed in her eye. 'How could he?' she thought as she clung tighter to the stranger's hand and allowed him to lead her down the path, away from the man she thought she had trusted more than her own life. A bullet whizzed past her ear and she screamed.

Reddington saw only one thing...RED. He stopped in his pursuit of Silas, (ragged and gray-haired, close-cropped enough to see his growing bald spot, oily greasy face with the jagged scar and calloused hands) on his Elizabeth. He knew she had just been kidnapped. Damn his operatives for not having that whole damn park cleared. She would have never gone willingly with him. He pointed his gun squarely at Gold wanting to put a bullet in his leg...slow him down a notch and torture the hell out of him to free Elizabeth from the drug. He took one shot before Dembe had caught hold of his arm. He grit his teeth hard spinning on Dembe, his eyes flashing angrily, and jerked his arm away.

"Elizabeth..." Dembe warned, his normally calm demeanor, agitated. "You don't want to hurt her."

"Let's find her now." Any other answer was not an option as he trudged back to his car out on the street. He needed to get his trackers on the vehicle before Silas changed the plates or left the state altogether. He was not going to be satisfied until a bullet was in the middle of Gold's skull and he would call it a personal calling card.

Silas Gold ushered Lizzie forward to a beat up, windowless white van that he had parked under a streetlamp on the edge of the park. It was blocked by several garbage cans and looked like it was riding on almost three flats. He was surprised it had not yet been towed away for standing too long in a private neighborhood. He glanced in the passenger's side mirror that was held on by duct tape and looked back at his "captive" audience. "What do you think of my car, Elizabeth?"

Lizzie approached the sleek black Porsche and let out a low whistle. "This is your car?" She had taken the time to catch her breath and was almost certain they were no longer being followed. The stranger had led them both through the woodsy narrow path of the park for about half a mile when they came to the outskirts of it. She no longer heard the sounds of feet or voices behind them and she looked to the man for answers. How did he know her? What had gotten into Reddington? What danger was she truly in? Did this have anything to do with her situation? She had handed over the vile of her blood to the stranger for safe keeping. He had mumbled something to her along the way that the vile was important to the reason he needed to keep her safe. She could accept that answer, for now, considering there seemed to be so many people interested in what was going on with her at the moment. Was this a side-effect of the drug she was under? She was afraid, but seemed to trust this man she just met. Why was that?

"Yeah isn't it sweet? Hop in quick...we got to jet. They will be here in no time."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Someplace safe."

"I don't even know your name," Elizabeth said before being ushered into the vehicle. She had put her hand in his and it felt like the smoothest, softest hand she had ever felt on a man. He smelled of some dark, sexy cologne and she wanted to get a better scent on him, wondering what it would be like to press against the body that wore it. Nice car and a sexy body. She was starting to feel a little overheated in a good way...She momentarily chastised herself for thinking the naughty thoughts that were fleeting through her brain, trying to shake them off. She wasn't disappointed when they didn't dissipate. The man bent low and whispered in her ear, tickling the fine hairs there. "My name is Gabe...and we're going to be _good_ friends."

Silas made sure that Elizabeth was in the rear of the dirty white van before slamming the door shut and locking her in. He shook a cigarette out of a crumpled pack he had in his breast pocket and lit it looking off into the distance. He could see a few lone cars circling the block ahead and he knew he had to disappear. Part two of the plan was now complete...Piece of cake.


	7. Here one minute...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fear, Fantasy, and Frustration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another one!! I'm getting into this now...GOT TO....FINISH!! MORE MORE MEOWRRR to come!

Dembe swung around the corner catching the tail end of the van as it disappeared.  Reddington leaned over the seat, not in his usual laid back demeanor.  He was near frantic.  He could not lose Elizabeth to this madman. 

“Don’t lose sight of that van, Dembe!”  He yelled, flipping open his phone and punching in several numbers.

Dembe’s features were hard set as he rounded the corner at the far end of the boulevard.  In front of them there was absolutely…nothing.  The van had disappeared leaving them in the middle of an open road with nothing surrounding them but trees on either side. 

“Stop the car.”

Dembe stopped in the middle of the road.  Red removed his shades, worry marring his features.  He exited the vehicle and looked from one end of the road back to the other.  The phone continued to ring and on the tenth ring, Harold Cooper finally decided to answer.

“Cooper here…”

“Harold!  She’s gone!”

“Reddington….what do you mean?  What’s going on?” He heard the twinge of panic in Reddington’s voice.  He knew this was serious.  He ushered Aram and Ressler close to his desk.  They had been discussing the possibility of placing a tracking device on Keen when she returned and were now looking intently at Cooper.

“She’s just gone, Harold.  I need you and that bumbling, inept team of yours to get off your asses and DO something!  I can’t lose Elizabeth, Harold…we’ve covered so much ground to be lost this way.”

Red closed the call and looked up at the sky.  “Where are you?”

__________________________________

Elizabeth marveled at the interior of the Porsche as they sped along the highway.  She ran her hand down the leather seats and studied the man beside her.  His eyes were on the road in front of him but every-so-often he would gaze in his review mirror to see if the coast was still clear. He had found a place to tuck the van in (very cliche, he might add) behind an old rusty billboard that was several feet away from the road behind a clump of trees.  He watched as Reddington sped right past them, apparently unaware that they would use that spot as a hiding place.  He had instructed Elizabeth to remain calm and quiet until the car had passed so that they would not be found out.  She did as she was told...only a small part of her wanting to give up this whole madness and make a run for it back to the only person she THOUGHT she knew.

“Where are we going?”  Lizzie asked again.  She settled back into the softness of her seat.  She felt warm.  She felt waves of some odd sensation beginning to move through her body.  She couldn’t explain how she was feeling at the moment.  She waited for his reply and studied the man beside her.  He was built.  The sleeves of his plaid shirt rolled up exposing muscular arms.  He wore tight jeans that fit him in all the right places.  She closed her eyes momentarily and a face appeared before her.  It wasn’t his.  It was Reddington’s.  Dark and foreboding.  Like he appeared in the elevator.  Pressed hard against her body.  She loved the look in his eyes.  The puffiness around the edges as he looked into her depths. The way his breath exhaled against her lips.  Soft and dangerous. She shivered inwardly.  The way he was behaving lately she didn’t know who he had become.  She wasn’t sure if she liked the man he was.  He was thrilling her and scaring her but inside she wondered what he would be like when he really let go.  She wanted to feel what he would do to her.  She wanted it violent.  She gasped.  She was started to become worked up and he looked back at her as she continued to study him.  He smiled slyly to himself. 

“You are quite beautiful to look at, Elizabeth.”  He said lowly distracting her from her original question.  She did look beautiful, her hair blowing in the wind from the rolled down window of the van, her cheeks flushed from the effects of the drug in her system.  He needed to make sure that the toxins of the drug were on track for where they needed to be.  He could only do that with her back in his lab.  He was about 25 miles away from where he had his living quarters and lab setup.  Far enough away from the city and anyone that may be in pursuit.  He needed to stay one step ahead of the pack.  Right now he was doing just that.  He rubbed a hand over his scraggly face and placed it on Elizabeth’s knee.  It was nothing more than an innocent pat, but he knew he was testing dangerous waters.

Lizzie looked back at him and his hand and sucked her breath in.  His hand sent shivers up her leg and she felt it in her core.  This was not like her.  She was not this easily attracted to anyone, especially strangers.  She was disappointed when he removed his hand and put it back on the wheel.  She almost moaned softly in displeasure.

She remained quiet for the rest of the ride.  She watched as trees gave way to beautifully structured homes.  They reminded her of Italian Villas.  There were so many on one block, she really started to wonder if indeed they had not left the country.  Palm trees lined the road and expensive cars were in every carport and garage.  She couldn’t help but gawk at the luxury of where they were. 

Gold parked the car in front of the abandoned warehouse.  He exited and looked behind the van.  Up the block there were several decaying old buildings all of which appeared equally abandoned. There was spray painted graffiti on every building and trash littered the sidewalks.  There were some questionable characters and a mangy cat that had ran across the street and gave him a backward glance.  It ignored him and continued on its way.  Silas picked up a rock and chucked it at the cat sending it squalling away from him.  He went around the side of the van and pulled open the door.  Elizabeth was sitting there expectant.  She didn’t know if she should have exited the car and waiting for him.  He smiled and extended his hand to her.  She took it and he lifted her out of the low riding Porsche in one smooth movement.  She fell against his chest and paused there for a moment.  Her eyes half-lidded as she looked up at him. 

“I hope you enjoyed the ride…I’m sorry we weren’t able to stop and stretch.” 

“Oh…that’s not a problem, Elizabeth started.  She took a step back from Gabe and smiled seductively up at him. 

­­­­__________________________

Reddington looked at his watch as he paced the small waiting area of the DMV.  He was about 30 seconds from ripping the door off of the office of the little man behind the scenes.  He peered through the blinds and saw Glen waving his arms frantically barking into his phone.  Red caught the man’s attention and tapped his watch.  Glen raised a hand to him and continued yelling into the phone.  Red went back to pacing the floors.  A small child came up to him and handed him a warm coke.  Red smiled and took the can, assuming that the boy needed his help in opening it.  He should have known better but his mind was beyond distracted at the moment as hot liquid came squirting out from the small opening all over his pants leg and vest.  “Son of a….”  He bit his tongue on the last word.  The little boy ran crying back to his mother and Red gave her a menacing glare bordering on murderous.  He put the can down on a table and shook his hand free of more than a few drops of brown liquid and looked around for the men’s room.  There went another suit.  He was nonplussed as he knew he owned at least 10 more of the very same kind in his closet at his latest safe house.  He just did not feel like sitting in a puddle of the sticky stuff when time was of the essence. 

Glen opened the door to his office just as Red was heading to the men’s room.  “You comin’ or not?”

Reddington huffed an exaggerated sigh and hurried past the throngs of patrons who were not even affording him a second glance let alone a napkin or Kleenex.  The glass around the door to Glen’s office nearly shattered with the force of the slam indicating the amount of fury building up in Raymond Reddington. 

“I have been waiting over an HOUR out there this time, you twisted sonofabitch…”  His words reverberated off of the walls.  “Do you have any idea of what it’s like to be on the other side?”  Red smiled incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief.  “I ask for ONE thing Glen…ONE THING!!  You have ONE job!!  I don’t even know why I bother….will you LOOK at me?!”

Glen’s head was bent, focused on a file on his cluttered desk.  He could tell that Reddington was really not in a mood to be fucked with.  He waited until Reddington took a breath.  He looked up from his folder and smiled softly at the fuming man in front of him.  “Plates are registered to a Gabe Wilson at 4232 E. Stichka Ave., Alexandria VA, you’re welcome.”  He held the folder out to Red who stood glued to his spot. 

Red took his hat off and scrubbed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.  He was trying his utmost best not to rip Glen to shreds.  He knew the smaller man loved to get under his skin and was the only one in his entire outfit that had the distinct privilege of being allowed to do so.  It was for reasons like these that he had that privilege.  He was eternally grateful to him, though he would never admit it.  “It means a lot that you ‘got right on this’ Glen,” He muttered and took the file.  He was about to rush out the door when his grating voice made Red’s shoulders tense once more.  “You owe me a ride in that jet...this time, no excuses.”

Reddington bit his lip until he tasted blood.  He said not another word as he slammed the door behind him causing a pile of files to cascade off of Glen’s desk to land in a mess of paperwork on the ground.  He smiled cheerfully at the sounds that were muffled behind the door.


	8. Gone The Next.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth may be too far gone...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some NSFW bits in here...mmmuwwhahahhaa....EMPJOY!
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments below...I THRIVE on feedback!!! Thanks again for reading :)
> 
> The song lyrics used are from "Heart Heart Head" by Meg Myers  
> And the poem quoted is from ― Nathalia Crane, Venus Invisible, and Other Poems

_Bright light....blinding.....pain....Where am I? Blood...is this mine? So...much blood. Terror...I can't move. I can't see...I can't BREATHE!!! Someone approaching in the dark...shadows against the light. Who is it? I can't see...NO...NO...NOT AGAIN!_

  
Elizabeth sat bolt upright in her bed. No...not her bed. In a room that was not her room. It was elegant and fashionably styled. The walls were adorned in colors of peach and tan tapestries, the four-poster bed held the same linen and cozy comforter set. The room cast a soft golden glow from the candles that were on nightstands and over the fireplace that was also blazing, the crackling logs creating a warmth that Lizzie relaxed into. She put a hand to her racing heart. It was thudding painfully inside of her chest. Her chest rising and falling the perspiration that had formed there began to trickle between the valley of her breasts and she willed herself to calm and try to remember where she was and why she was there.

  
In the adjoining room, Silas Gold watched her from the monitors that lined his wall. His feet were propped up on the makeshift desk, but he immediately put them on the floor and paid attention to the woman on the dingy mattress in her bleak surroundings. He had ushered her into the room a few hours earlier after they had had a meager dinner. He had convinced her that the tuna and noodles from a can were linguini and shrimp in a white wine sauce. His methods of seduction throughout the dinner were having a decided effect on Keen and he had to admit that he was beginning to feel stirrings of arousal in himself.

He knew he had to remain calm and keep the upper hand if his plan was going to work. He needed to keep his scientific approach to the situation and only use her as a lab rat in his maze. He had checked her vital signs during the dinner and slipped her more of his experimental drug in the form of a little white pill fizzing at the bottom of her "champaign", rather than trying to stick her again with another needle. It took a matter of minutes for his subject to become malleable and pliable under his control. He had created a few words and phrases to use as hypnosis to bring Keen to do whatever he commanded of her. He grinned ruefully to himself at how easy this all was. He was wanting more of a challenge. He may have overestimated the feisty brunette from the F.B.I. but he was willing to give her more of a chance.

  
He had danced with her after the meal. The lights low in the warehouse, he had turned on some slow and sultry music and moved with her to the middle of the floor. He could tell she was transfixed on her surroundings. He felt the heat within her and it took all he had in him not to call his plans off and just do what he wanted to her right then and there. He knew he had to stick to what was the endgame and he regrettably told her that he must retire for the evening.

_"Gabe...I've had such a wonderful evening....are you sure you have to leave me just now?"_

  
_"I'm sorry, Elizabeth...I'm afraid I have some work to finish here...we need to gather our strength so that we can be ready for whatever Reddington throws our way. We have to make plans, but first, you need to rest."_

  
_"I don't feel like resting, Gabe....I feel....I don't know what I feel...but why do I feel this way with you? I don't even know you."_

  
Gold remembered her hands sliding up his shoulders and caressing his neck. He remembered taking her delicate wrists in his hands and easing them away from him putting them firmly at her sides. He remembered her disappointed look at him and he closed his eyes. He looked back at the monitors and watched as Keen moved about the other room seeming to touch the objects she only saw in her mind.

  
_"Elizabeth...you need to trust me. You need to trust only me. I'm the one that holds the answers you seek. Do you believe?"_

  
_"Yes, Gabe...I don't know why...but I feel safe with you."_

  
She allowed him to move her to the other room and select the only real things that he had stored away in a box in the corner. He produced a lacy, black silk sheer nightgown that he knew would fit her perfectly.  Silas had indeed done his homework.

  
_"Take off your clothes,"_ He told her without preamble.

  
The room was dank, cold and dark. He had lit a candle on an old workbench and made sure that the mattress on the floor had a couple of blankets and a pillow. He didn't care about the status but they were somewhat clean. He was more confident in the suggestions planted in her head and how she reacted to them.

  
_"Is your room satisfactory, Elizabeth?"_ He said watching her as she slowly eased her way out of her pantsuit and it dropped in a puddle on the floor. He looked appraisingly at her in her tank top, bra, and panties. She stepped out of them and did not appear awkward in front of him in barely anything. She put her hands on her hips and waited for him to make the next move.

  
_"It's very elegant, Gabe. I love what you've done with the place. I haven't stayed anywhere as nice as this...most of my sleeping arrangements involve old motel rooms and cargo freights while on the run."_

  
_"I'm pleased that you are satisfied. Remove the rest of your clothes."_

  
_"Only if you turn around and promise not to peek,"_ Elizabeth said with a wink. He nodded, his face passive and turned his back on her. Her only bit of hesitation came when she lifted her tank top over her head and he was briefly out of her line of sight. She undid the clasp of her bra and it fell effortlessly from her body. She stood in nothing but her panties now, unwilling to be completely free.

  
He turned back to her and still did not lose the dispassionate look in his eyes as he skimmed her body and noted her firm and pert breasts, nipples hardening with the chill in the room. He stepped closer to her, in her airspace sharing the same breath as he slipped the thin bit of silk over her head and watched as it whispered over her body, hugging it in all the right places. Her breasts pushed against the thin material and left nothing to the imagination. Gold caught himself before his hands reached up to cup one only wanting to rub a thumb across the stiffness, to ease it against his skin. He shook his head and looked at Elizabeth who was waiting with parted lips. She looked up into his eyes and half-lidded hers. Gold pushed her away from him and led her to the bed.

  
_"Goodnight, Elizabeth...I want you to remember one thing...you are welcome here but you must not let your guard down. Always be alert. I want you to be afraid of one thing and one person only. And that is Raymond Reddington. No matter what he has told you in the past. He means to undo that now. He is someone not to be trusted. Remember that. He stands in the way of progress...my progress and he intends to destroy everything in his path to do that, including you. He's going to hurt you...remember how you feel when you're around him..."_

  
He had watched her for hours after that. Of course, he knew Reddington would be searching for his beloved F.B.I. agent. It would only be a matter of time before he found his way to Gold's lair and then he would have him. Removing Reddington from his powerful position would leave the door wide open for Gold to run the drug market and successfully infiltrate Reddington's territories and money. He needed to de-throne the powerful crimelord and he had set the bait for the trap with Keen. He didn't mind a bit of cat and mouse while he prepared Elizabeth to administer the ultimate act of betrayal that would shatter Reddington's world. Gold steepled his fingers and watched as Elizabeth started thrashing in her bed. The apparent terror warring over her body was delightful. He noted more of her reactions on his chart and noted his own reactions below. He had snorted a line of his other experimental creation "Soma" and it left him feeling in a dangerously erotic mood. He knew he was playing with fire, but he was only human. He had gotten close to Keen before and he wasn't going to lie. He liked the feel of her body against his even though she thought he was someone else. It was better to hide behind the masks. He was willing to do that now. He watched her go to the open window of the garage and stare out into the night and thought to himself it was time for "Reddington" to make another appearance and see if she had listened to his warnings.

  
_I can barely speak, black and white bed sheets,_  
_I feel the air retreat, I know you're here with me._  
_How do I fake it with another man?_  
_How do I love him on the weekend?_  
_How do I listen to another man?_  
_How do I get off on the weekend?_  
_You're in my heart, in my heart, in my head_

  
Lizzie was looking out into the night sky. She was on the balcony of the Villa and the view was spectacular. So many stars. The air was cool and crisp and it breezed over her heated skin. She was trying to come down off of the waves of fear that had seized her and every noise outside and in the room heightened her sense of panic. What caused her to feel this way? She tried to recall the images of her dreams. It wasn't the dreams of her and the fire when she was younger. It wasn't the dreams of Tom locked away in the bottom of the boat where she had kept him captive for months. It wasn't the death of the quartermaster that she still felt responsible for. It was...she couldn't put her finger on it. Flashes of eyes, guns, teeth, blood...her blood. Fear once again crept over her skin making it tingle and the gooseflesh rose making her shiver. She didn't want to feel it again. She didn't want to see....she whirled around.

  
Face to face with the object of her abject dread and horror, Elizabeth tried to scream but Reddington was quicker. He put a hand over her mouth and yanked her hair back with the other. He pulled her closer and took a deep breath in, inhaling her scent and piercing her with his gaze.

  
"You can't run from me, Lizzie...and you can't hide....I am everywhere you are." He removed his hand from her mouth all but one finger as if telling her to remain quiet.

  
"I'll scream for Gabe...he's just in the other room....how did you get here?" Elizabeth panted, barely able to speak. Red's hand was gripping the back of her head, not releasing the tight hold he had on her. He snaked his other hand around her waist and pulled her against his body.

  
"You don't want to do that...besides we have a lot of unfinished business to attend to. It's better that Gabe doesn't know...unless you like him to watch," He leered at her and Elizabeth shivered from his implications.

  
"Didn't think so..." Red said as he fingered the spaghetti strap of her skimpy nightgown. "I don't want you to make a single...sound....understand?" His eyes held her rooted in one place as his hand finally released the hold on her hair and it trailed down to her jaw as he caressed her chin. Elizebeth involuntarily leaned into it. She jerked her head back and stared at him defiantly.

  
"That's my girl..."

  
Reddington shrugged quickly out of his suit coat and jacket keeping his eyes trained on Elizabeth. He was still in his black suit and red tie and Lizzie had to admit he was damn sexy in just the vest. She would never admit that to him but the stirrings were starting deep in the pit of her stomach but they had yet to outweigh the distrust she had for the man now.

  
"Why...why are you doing this Reddington?" She shivered as he traced his thumb over her lips holding herself back from lightly kissing it. She didn't want this...did she?'

  
"Why are you here in this room with this enticing garment...you were here waiting for me...you were wanting me...I always believe in giving people what they want...especially you." His errant thumb brushed her nipple bring it instantly hard and he teasingly tugged at it. "I remember how much you wanted me the other day...in your room...I want you to tell me that now."

  
"Never..." She ground out between her teeth as he tugged harder at her reply. Her hand gripped his shoulder for balance. She frowned and shut her eyes tightly. Her body was letting her down.

  
Reddington dropped to his knees. He looked up at her and provocatively trailed his fingers around the curve of her breast to the top of her belly. "I think your body begs to differ..."

  
Lizzie's hand did not leave his shoulder and was now helplessly kneading it as Red continued to lightly tickle and tease the over sensitive areas of her breasts and belly. She gasped as he found a spot...she didn't want to laugh she wanted to be angry at him but was rapidly losing that battle.

  
"Red..." She whispered breathlessly.

That was the "in" that he was looking for. Reddington replaced his fingertips with his hot wet mouth, leaving kisses trailing where his fingers once had. Elizabeth cried out in surprise and threw her head back against the wall. He was quickly turning her insides on fire and her legs were becoming wobbly and it was hard for her to stand and take what he was doing to her. Reddington moved slowly down the curve of her belly. He was coming close to the center of her need and his nose was confirming his earlier suspicions. "The rose has told in one simplicity that never life relinquishes a bloom but to bestow an ancient confidence.”

  
His breath ghosted over the sheer, filmy nightgown and through her now sodden panties. They were thick with the smell of her want for him. It was not a surprise to her how quickly it came on. What surprised her was why it had taken this long. Somewhere inside she knew this was what she was wanting. She knew she was supposed to fear this man and maybe it was the fear that was driving her this mad with the want of him. He mouthed his way over the cloth barriers and she shivered again a moan escaping her lips. She looked down at him and his eyes had yet to leave her face. He watched her every move as he nosed and kissed her deeply against the material of her gown.

  
Growing frustrated he grabbed at the hem of her gown and growling hiked it up over her hips simultaneously yanking her panties down in the process. Liz was immobile against the wall. Her hands were moving deliciously over his scalp, urging him to get back to the attentions he was paying her. He delved his tongue in between her thighs, tasting everything sweet while being greedily hungrily rough in his taking of the honey she offered. Her mouth hung open in a silent "Oh" of pleasure. His skilled tongue that he often used for storytelling did not displease her when it worshiped the center of her being. He took his time. He did not rush the feelings he was bringing forth from her.

  
"Raymond...I...I can't...please...I need..." She could barely formulate the sentences to convey that she could no longer stand and was about lose all control.  
Reddington smiled and hummed against her causing another tremor to course through her as she bit her lip. She was clawing into his shoulders now, wishing that more of his clothes were off so that she could make an impact. Swiftly, he stood up and swooped her into his arms and carried her over to the bed. He laid her down on the edge and proceeded to undo his vest and shirt removing them only as Elizabeth watched hungrily from where she sat. She tried to assist him but he pushed her hands away and continued to slowly undo buttons.

  
Lizzie moaned in frustration as he took his time to undress and he winked at her when she thought she could stand no more of his meticulous care. He paid her no mind. "REDDINGTON!" She shouted after a minute more. She didn't care if the whole neighborhood heard. She wanted him to get back to business. Her skin was on fire and he had the only thing that could quelch the heat within. Without warning, Red pushed her shoulders back so that she fell backward on the bed, dropped once again to his knees and pulled her hips forward to him. He wasted no time in making quick work to get back to eating her. Kissing up and down her inner thighs and settling in, finally taking her into his mouth, his tongue swirling and dancing on her clit making it twitch against it. Elizabeth was sobbing in ecstasy, moaning into her pillow. She didn't want anything to disturb what was happening to her now and she knew Gabe would not understand if he happened to walk in on this.

  
Just as Red was about to bring Lizzie over the edge, and she was so close, so very close, he paused in his ministrations and she felt something cold and hard pressed against the outside of her hip. She was breathless and panting but confused as to what she was now feeling. It was a familiar sensation and she could only recognize it as a gun pressed once again to her side. She shook her head and looked down at Reddington, disbelief clouding her eyes. Red trailed the gun up her side and despite her growing anxiety, shivered at its cold steel touch on her heated skin. "What are you doing?" She heard the distinct sound of it cocking against her head.

  
"You were told not to trust me..."

"But...I thought..."

"What else were you told?"

"Nothing...NOTHING...Red...I swear..."

"You should have listened."

Elizabeth screamed as the candlelight was extinguished and the room pitched into sudden darkness and she was alone in the room with a madman.


End file.
